Written by

Tim Mullaney
| USA Today

By one standard, the CEO of solar-technology company BrightSource Energy is nearing success. BrightSource is planning to open its $2.2 billion electricity plant, which it is building with partners NRG Energy and Google, near Las Vegas. Known as Ivanpah, it's the world's biggest solar facility of its kind, and its juice is presold to utilities for 20 to 25 years.

But Woolard still scrambles for money to build BrightSource. Last year, he canceled an initial public offering after investors balked at the still-unprofitable company's $1 billion ...